(The Center Square) – Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice and Assembly Speaker David Prosser died Sunday.
He was 81. The cause of death was cancer.
Prosser was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1998 by Gov. Tommy Thompson and then was reelected to the court in 2001 and 2011 before retiring in 2016 after 18 years.
The Appleton native was also an 18-year member of the Wisconsin Assembly, including two years as speaker, after serving as the Outagamie County district attorney.
“As governor, I am proud to have worked with David as a leader in the Legislature to form and implement policies that brought common sense solutions to the issues our state faced,” Thompson said in a statement. “I could always count on him to be candid in discussions and results oriented in action. David could count votes, and delivered when it mattered.”
Prosser was also a member of the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission and spent more than 40 years at different levels of government.
“I am confident that Justice Prosser’s legacy as a lifelong public servant will continue to inspire and impact future generations of public servants,” Supreme Court Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler said in a statement.
Prosser was also attorney and advisor in the Office of Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, then as administrative assistant to U.S. Rep. Harold Froehlich, a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate impeachment inquiry.
“For decades, Justice David Prosser’s career was defined by an unwavering commitment to the Constitution, the rule of law, and liberty for all,” said Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty president and general counsel Rick Esenberg. “Like any justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, we may not have always viewed a case or ruling the same way, but we deeply respect the institution and the late Justice Prosser’s legacy of public service.”
